Ex  Libris 
C.  K.  OGDEN 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE     PANTHER 

A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


(it- 


THE  PANTHER 

A  TALE  OF  TEMPTATION 


With  Illustrations  by 

PAUL   K.  M.  THOMAS 


BOSTON 
SMALL,   MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

MCMVIII 


Copyrighted,  1908 
By  SMALL,  MATNARD  &  COMPANT 

(INCORPORATED) 


PS 
11/9 


THE     PANTHER 

A  TALE  OF  TEMPTATION 


1001247 


^^^^••^B 

A 


H 


THE  PANTHER 

'IS  own  eyes  were  gray,— the  gray 
that  we  call  iron  because  its  shad 
ows  are  black  and  hard.  His  life  had 
been  such  as  led  to  hard  and  black 
shadows  or  to  a  light  that  only  lightens 
into  steely  reflections.  If  there  had  been 
anything  to  soften  the  iron  and  steel, 
it  had  been  no  more  to  either  than 
rust,— the  rust  that  is  warmly  red  of 
hue,  but  deadly  poison  to  one  just 
come  from  playing  with  anything  that 
cuts  deep. 

He  was  a  large  man,  Titanic  in  form, 
with  a  Titan's  strength  not  only  of  body, 
but  of  mind.  A  man  whose  will  matched 
his  eyes.  A  man  whose  empire  included 
others,  yet— unlike  any  king's — began 
within  himself. 


THE   PANTHER 


But  those  eyes  of  hers  were  of  heaven,— 
so  true  and  so  blue,  and  firm,  too,  but 
not  with  the  glitter  of  steel,  rather  with 
the  eternal  duration  of  the  silver  moon 
beams. 

"  That  is  it !  "  he  told  himself  quickly 
on  the  first  wonderful  night  that  ever 
he  knew  them, — "blue  and  silver,— 
heaven  and  moonlight:  she  has  both 
in  her  eyes,— hi  her  blue  and  silver  eyes." 

It  did  not  seem  to  him  that  she  could 
be  exactly  human.  She  seemed  elu 
sive,  fragile,  as  if  the  world  had  gone 
by  on  the  other  side  and  been  a  good 
Samaritan  in  so  doing. 

"  Life  has  surely  forgotten  to  teach 
her,"  he  thought,  standing  afar  and 
contemplating. 

Then  out  of  his  contemplation  grew 
the  question,— 


A  TALE  OF  TEMPTATION 


"Is  it  that  she  has  never  loved ?>" 
And  later  the  ^conclusion,  bred  of  the 

sweet  serenity  of  that  silver  gaze,  came 

thus,  — 

"  She  has  never  loved." 

Then  he  began  to  watch  and  to  wonder, 
to  watch  and  to  wonder;  and  the  watch 
ing  and  wonder  led  him — as  watching 
and  wondering  lead  all  men— from  her 
eyes  to  her  mouth,  and  back  to  her  eyes, 
and  again  to  her  mouth,  until  his  very 
dreams  held  their  shape  and  image  and 
cried  for  an  answer  in  pity. 

"She  will  love?"  he  asked  of  Destiny, 
and  Destiny  sat  granite  with  a  granite 
finger  upon  her  granite  lip,  and  tor 
mented  him  with  a  thirst  for  knowledge 
which  was  importunate  by  day  and  mani 
acal  by  night. 

[3] 


THE   PANTHER 


"  She  will  love,"  he  gasped  to  himself, 
on  the  sole  authority  of  his  imperative 
need;  and  his  heart  drank  deep  of  the 
fictitious  assurance,  and  cried  aloud  for 
more  and  stronger. 

He  spoke  to  her  of  a  forest  path  that 
slopes  down  past  the  monument  and  so 
on  down  to  the  lake. 

"  Are  you  fond  of  walking?"  he  said. 

"  I  think  so,"  she  answered.  Her  voice 
was  curiously  low  and  sweet.  It  sang 
to  every  nerve  within  him,  and  made 
him  forget  even  her  presence  in  the  joy 
of  knowing  that  its  sound  was  given 
for  him  alone. 

He  stood  still,  looking  down  at  her 
little  white  hands,  and  a  wonder  stole 
over  him  as  to  how  it  would  be  to  feel 
them  clasped  behind  his  neck.  It  was 

[4] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


beyond  all  imagining!  He  raised  his 
eyes  from  her  slender  intertwined  fingers 
to  her  face. 

"  Do  walk  with  me  to  the  lake  to 
morrow,"  he  said,  not  recognizing  the 
pleading  echo  in  his  voice  until  its  cry 
sounded  in  his  ears. 

Her  blue  and  silver  glance  floated 
lightly  over  the  iron  bar  of  his  own. 

"  Yes,  I  should  like  that,"  she  said,  as 
simply  as  if  existence  had  been  finite 
and  he  and  she  only  two  mortal  folk. 


It  was  that  afternoon  that  they  set 
out,  going  first  across  the  grassy  plateau 
and  along  the  forest  edge  to  where  the 
path  begins. 

He  saw  the  shadow  that  marked  the 
[5] 


THE   PANTHER 


opening,  and  tried  to  picture  to  himself 
the  wooded  way  and  they  two  alone 
within  it.  But  he  could  not  sketch  the 
merest  outline  of  the  idea.. 

They  came  to  the  stone  stair  and 
descended.  The  trees  closed  in,— before 
them,  about  them,  behind  them,— enswept 
them  in  a  mighty  spell  of  interwoven 
shade  and  murmur. 

They  were  alone— quite  alone— for  the 
first  time. 

"Does  it  awe  you?"  he  asked,— "  the 
primeval  silence  of  Nature  undisturbed?" 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  stand  hi  rever 
ence,  but  not  hi  awe.  Awe  is  part  fear. 
Fear  came  not  among  those  who  were 
at  the  dowering  of  my  cradle." 

"  You  do  not  seem  human  to  me," 
he  exclaimed  impulsively.  "I  cannot 
fancy  you  a  prey  to  any  emotion." 

[6]    ' 


A  TALE  OF  TEMPTATION 

She  did  not  answer  at  first. 

Later  she  said  quietly,— 

"  Emotions  are  not  for  me." 

He  felt  a  cold  hand  at  his  breast. 
They  were  going  slowly  down  the  path, 
and  the  path  was  pitching  steeply,  and 
yet  more  steeply  with  each  successive 
minute.  It  seemed  to  him  that  any 
other  woman  would  require  help,— would 
naturally  put  forth  her  hand  to  seek  it. 
He  knew  that  with  any  other  woman 
he  should  certainly  have  undertaken  her 
assistance  without  thought  or  question, — 
a  man  always  helps  a  woman. 

But  something  held  him  back  from 
her.  How  could  he  dare  lay  his  hand 
upon  her?  His  senses  might  not  image 
even  her  touch.  The  hand  that  was 
nearest  appeared  to  him  star-like  in  its 
distance, — in  its  impossibility  to  achieve. 
[7] 


THE   PANTHER 


Some  strange  impenetrable  wall  of  densest 
non-understanding  seemed  to  hedge  her 
about.  The  bonds  of  earth  were  lacking, 
-  the  "  woman  "  was  not  there.  And 
he  craved  what  was  not.  The  Tree  of 
Knowledge  now,  even  if  the  Flaming 
Sword  must  follow  after.  He  was  flesh 
and  blood.  The  madness  that  lured  men 
to  the  Lorelei  sapped  at  his  forces.  He 
looked  down  at  her  there  beside  him. 
Oh,  how  sweetly,  purely  beautiful  she 
was !  How  calmly  blue,  how  shimmer- 
ingly  silver  were  her  eyes ! 

And  if  that  blue  might  deepen  into 
violet,  that  silver  veil  its  splendor  and 
sink  in  shadows  there  behind  her  lashes, 
and  all  the  double  change  be  wrought 
for  him !  By  him !  With  him !  .  .  . 

It  was  still,— very  still.  Not  a  leaf 
stirred.  It  was  not  hot  nor  cold,  nor 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

damp  nor  dry.  The  path  was  never 
dusty,  never  slippery.  She  followed  its 
downward  incline  steadily,  steadily.  And 
he  walked  beside  her. 

"  Am  I  happy?"  he  asked  himself,— 
"  am  I  happy  at  being  alone  with  her 
thus  and  here?  Is  this  joy?  Is  this 
content?  Could  I  go  on  and  on  and 
feed  on  this,  and  be  nourished  by  this, 
and  call  my  craving  satisfied?  What 
ails  her?  What  does  she  lack?  Why 
does  she  lack  it  ?  "  And  the  fancy  stole 
over  him  of  the  tale  of  the  Vampire  and 
its  hideous  holding  to  death  in  life.  He 
glanced  at  her  in  the  sudden  stress  of  his 
cradled  fear,  and  met  her  blue  and  silver 
eyes  and  the  sunny  parting  of  her  lips. 
His  glance  rested— where  it  often  rested 
—  on  her  lips ;  and,  when  they  closed,  he 
drew  a  single  slightly  quickened  breath. 
[9] 


"  She  is  no  Vampire,"  he  told  him 
self,  and  started  violently,  hearing  that 
he  had  spoken  the  words  aloud.  "  I 
had  to  think  it,"  he  added,  not  confused, 
rather  rejoicing  that  the  bonds  of  their 
conventionality  had  been  thus  accidentally 
shattered.  "  You  are  so  widely  differ 
ent  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world." 

Trouble  flew  across  her  face,  and  van 
ished  so  swiftly  that  he  doubted  its  pass 
ing  a  second  after  it  was  gone. 

"  I  am  different,"  she  admitted. 

His  fingers  touched  the  curving  of  her 
elbow. 

"  But  you  are  human? "  he  impor 
tuned;  and  in  the  instant  it  seemed  to 
his  supreme  excitement  that  he  felt 
her  arm  tremble  slightly.  But  the  next 
second  they  were  apart,  and  walking  on 
as  before;  and  he  knew  with  a  shock 

[10] 


A  TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 


that  he  had  been  deceived,  — that  no 
mutual  consciousness  had  come  over 
them,  that  no  instantaneous  quivering 
sympathy  had  resulted  from  that  touch. 

She  swerved  a  little  in  her  steps. 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  she  asked  quickly. 

He  overcame  with  an  effort  the  rush 
of  receding  hope  which  had  rendered 
her  again  afar,  — apart,  remote,  as  inac 
cessible  as  ever. 

"  Where  ?  "  he  asked. 

"There,  at  my  feet?" 

He  looked  downward. 

"  I  see  nothing,"  he  said. 

She  looked  about  vaguely. 

"  It  was  the  shadow  of  something," 
she  said,  and  went  on. 

"  It  is  a  long  walk,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I 
fear  you  will  be  very  weary  to-night." 


• 

s 


THE   PANTHER 


She  made  no  answer. 

"  You  are  tired,"  he  said. 

She  made  no  answer  again. 

He  put  his  hand  beneath  her  arm, 
and  the  clasp  rested  there. 

At  last  she  said:— 

"  I  must  rest.     Let  us  sit  down." 

He  looked  at  her.  She  was  pale,  and 
her  pallor  was  fitfully  roseate. 

He  felt  a  miserable  stab  of  self-reproach. 

"  Here  is  a  seat,"  he  said.  "  Rest 
here."  And  then  his  pain  gave  place  to 
pleasure  because  she  looked  so  pale,  so 
tired,  so  hi  need  of  succor.  "  Do  sit 
down,"  he  pleaded;  and  she  sank  upon 
the  tree-trunk  that  had  been  freshly 
felled  as  if  for  her  need. 

He  sat  down  beside  her,  and  a  long 
silence  followed.  He  drew  her  hand 
within  his  own.  It  was  cold.  He  held 

[12] 


A  TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 


it  gently,  and  felt  the  warmth  return  to  it, 
yet  he  dared  not  the  least  pressure.  He 
looked  at  her.  She  breathed  painfully. 

"Let  us  go  back,"  she  said  hi  a  low 
voice. 

He  felt  choked  and  mad.  It  was  so 
still  without  themselves.  The  forest 
brooded  its  eternal  calm.  Stray  sun-rays 
filtered  across  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
tree  branches.  And  she  was  there.  And 
he  was  there. 

He  stared  down  at  the  ground,  and 
a  black  shape  slunk  away  quickly  before 
his  gaze.  He  looked  to  left  and  right. 
Nothing !  —  and  yet  he  would  have  sworn 
to  a  glint  of  white  teeth.  The  ghost  of 
their  menace  laid  his  arm  about  her. 
His  fingers  tightened  their  hold  on  hers. 

She  averted  her  face.  Again  his  heart 
choked  him.  He  felt  an  opposition  shap- 


THE   PANTHER 


ing  itself  in  their  dual  solitude.  It  was 
appallingly  still.  The  stillness  of  mys 
tery.  The  stillness  that  hangs  breathless 
before  the  curtain  parts.  His  grasp  upon 
her  tightened.  A  curious  tense  resistance 
seemed  to  thread  through  her. 

"  I  struggle,"  she  exclaimed  suddenly, 
springing  to  her  feet. 

In  his  astonishment  he  suffered  her  to 
escape  out  of  his  hold. 

"  I  must  tell  you  the  truth,"  she  ex 
claimed  further.  "  You  must  not  bind 
me  with  your  will." 

Some  unspeakable  wonder  thrilled  him 
as  he  saw  her  standing  there  before  him. 
Overhead  darkness  was  gathering.  A 
warning  bird-call  smote  the  surround 
ing  air.  He  felt  stricken  dumb,  as  one 
who  sees  a  veil  withdrawn  from  what 
has  been  decreed  a  mystery. 
C'4] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

Sh«  was  deathly  pale.  Her  lips  were 
white,  her  great  eyes  shone,  upon  her 
cheeks  and  forehead  were  marked  the 
passage  of  many  battling  emotions. 

"  Nothing  like  this  may  be  for  me," 
she  said,  passiveness  fighting  down  the 
latent  passion  in  her  voice.  "  I  shall 
have  to  tell  you  who  and  what  I  am." 

He  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  hers,  their 
gaze  one  torture  of  interrogation. 

"  Who  and  what  are  you?  "  he  asked 
through  his  bitten  lips. 

She  clasped  and  unclasped  her  hands 
once  or  twice,  and  then  she  told  him. 

As  he  listened,  the  storm  kept  gathering 
overhead,  and  the  black  shadow  drew 
close,  its  white  teeth  glittering,  its  eyes 
blazing.  But  storm  and  shadow  went 
alike  unheeded  as  he  listened,  his  eyes 
upon  her  upturned  face. 
C'5] 


THE   PANTHER 


When  she  ceased  speaking,  he  rose  and 
took  her  hands  again  within  his  own. 

"  This,  then,  is  all  that  is  to  be  for 
you  and  for  me?  "  he  asked,  looking  at 
her,  and  measuring  a  woe  plutonic  in  its 
depths,—"  a  few  brief  hours,  and  then 
good-bye  forever?  " 

"  That  will  be  best,"  she  said  calmly 
and  steadily. 

He  put  his  hands  on  either  side  of 
her  head  and  turned  her  face  towards 
his. 

"  Much  might  have  been  done,"  he  told 
her,  "  and  you  decide  that  nothing  shall 
be.  Who  is  it  that  may  say  what  is  or 
is  not  for  the  best?  We  surely  cannot 
know.  Only  this  is  sure,— to-morrow  I 
shall  see  you,  the  next  day  also,  and  on 
that  night  I  shall  bid  you  good-bye  for 
ever  if  you  bid  me ! " 

[16] 


A    TALE    OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Life  is  long,"  she  said  timidly, 
thoughtfully. 

"  But  not  for  you  and  me,"  he  said 
in  tones  of  chained  and  clogged  convic 
tion.  "You  are  unloving,"  he  added. 
"  It  is  better  to  leave  you  so.  Such  cross 
as  there  is  I  may  then  bear  alone." 

He  took  his  hands  from  her  head. 
The  tree  branches  were  moaning,  shriek 
ing. 

At  their  feet  the  shadow  had  taken  on 
shape  and  lurked  waiting. 

Waiting. 


It  was  the  night  of  their  parting  forever. 

"  The  crucial  moment  in  my  life,"  he 
said,  as  he  rested  his  arms  upon  the 
chairback  and  gazed  upon  her  opposite. 
[17] 


THE   PANTHER 


"  There  is  the  selfishness  of  a  base 
nature,"  he  went  on,  "  and  then  the  un 
selfishness  of  a  higher  nature,  and  then 
beyond  that  the  existence  that  knows 
nothing  beyond  itself,  being  neither  selfish 
nor  unselfish,  only  complete  in  itself, 
needing  no  other.  It  is  that  which  I 
must  strive  to  grasp  and  realize,  since 
it  is  the  best  that  I  am  to  know." 

He  looked  at  his  watch  (the  evening 
was  far  advanced).  "Eleven  o'clock: 
that  means  that  the  end  is  very  near  at 
hand.  It  is  strange.  I  know  that  we 
shall  meet  no  more,  and  yet  I  feel  as  if 
we  should  continue  interwoven.  You  are 
a  part  of  me.  You  belong  to  me.  I  feel 
as  if  I  could  hold  you  close,  even  with 
oceans  swelling  between  us.  I  wonder, 
has  it  ever  been  like  that  for  other  men 
with  other  women,  or  is  it  just  because 

[18] 


SH 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

my  reason  would  crumble  if  no  hope  was 
left?" 

She  was  quiet. 

"  Do  look  a  little  less  pale,"  he  en 
treated:  "one  need  have  color  in  this 
hour.  Besides,  I  cannot  bear  that  you 
shall  care.  I  said  before,  I  will  to  bear 
this  cross  alone." 

She  did  not  look  less  pale. 

Outside  it  was  raining,  and  the  rain 
drops  on  the  window  sounded  like  an 
interlude  of  tears. 

"  Listen,"  he  said,  "  the  very  skies  are 
weeping.  You  never  weep,  do  you?" 
She  just  slightly  shook  her  head.  "  I  am 
so  glad."  He  leaned  over  and  picked  up 
one  of  the  tassels  that  hung  from  the 
chair  drapery.  "  And  I  am  so  glad  that 
I  go.  I  laid  and  thought  about  it  all 
last  night.  Such  odd  ideas  went  through 
[19] 


9&SL 


THE   PANTHER 


my  mind.  I  told  myself  that,  if  you  had 
only  been  a  washerwoman  or  some  plain, 
sweet,  wholly  commonplace  creature,  with 
nothing  to  commend  you  to  me  except 
your  complete  and  perfect  sympathy,  why, 
then,  I  might  have  stayed  and  been  as 
happy  as  Rousseau  or  Goethe.  In  my 
idle  hours  I  could  have  found  rest  and 
pleasure  and  comfort  with  you,  and  it 
would  have  been  ideal.  It  would  have 
been  what  every  man  has  a  right  to 
hope,  and  I  am  as  all  the  rest.  And, 
then,  I  thought  of  you  also,  and  of  how, 
if  I  had  been  just  a  mediocre,  half-foolish, 
wholly  adoring  fellow,  with  only  my  per 
fect  sympathy  to  commend  me,  why,  I 
might  then  have  had  a  little  niche  in 
your  life,  and  been  able  to  serve  you  and 
amuse  you,  too.  You  could  have  always 
felt  free  to  say,  'I  need  rest,'  and  then  I 


[20] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

could  have  gone  to  my  corner  and  slept 
like  a  poodle,  or  you  could  have  said, 
*  To-day  I  want  to  walk,'  and  I  might 
have  trotted  beside  you  in  the  park. 
Oh,  how  ideal  the  world  might  be  if 
only  one  of  us  were  the  king  upon  the 
throne  instead  of  having  the  problem  of 
two  sovereignties  and  no  possible  abdica 
tion  !  If  I  would,  I  cannot  become  a  valet 
in  your  service,  nor  can  I  make  a  house 
keeper  of  you.  They  chained  Pegasus 
once,  and  Atlas  was  forced  to  bear  the 
world,  but  no  legend  ever  set  Jupiter  to 
sweeping  the  heavens,  unless  it  was 
with  the  thunderbolts,  and  therefore—  and 
therefore— we  must  part.  Oh,  I  thought 
about  it  all  night." 

She  sat  still,  her  eyes  on  the  tassel  that 
swung  in  his  fingers. 

"  Life  is  very  curious,"  he  went  on 

[21] 


®1 


THE   PANTHER 


then,—"  very  curious.  I  cannot  just  see 
why  I  might  not  have  found  a  washer 
woman—there  are  so  many  washer 
women"—  He  stopped  suddenly,  and 
something  like  a  groan  came  from  his 
lips.  "  Do  not  believe  that  I  am  careless 
because  I  talk  like  this !  "  he  implored. 
"  It  is  only  that  desperation  is  driving  me 
to  say  what  I  will  not  say,  and  so  I  drown 
it  in  idle  words.  What  meaning  have 
protestations?  Men  were  protesting  in 
the  land  of  Iran  before  the  Celts  started 
south  and  the  Kymris  north.  All  that  I 
might  protest  you  might  guess  or  not,  as 
you  please  "—  He  paused.  "  What  is 
it?"  he  asked  curiously.  "You  wish  to 
speak." 

"It  is  that  I  do  not  hear,"  she  said 
painfully. 

"  You  do  not  hear !  " 

[22] 


'©' 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Or,  rather,  yes,  I  hear,  but  I  only  hear 
sounds.  The  meaning  of  what  you  say 
does  not  come  to  me." 

Her  eyes  were  turned  piteously  to 
wards  him.  He  reviled  himself  for  the 
joy  their  sorrow  gave  him,  even  while  he 
rose  to  leave. 

"  So,"  he  said  gently.  "  You  are  too 
tired  to  bear  a  longer  strain.  It  will 
soon  be  over  and  forgotten,  God  will 
ing." 

"  Can  we  part  like  this?  "  she  asked, 
rising. 

"  We  must  part,  and  now." 

He  took  her  hand,  and  the  iron  of  his 
eyes  hammered  against  her  own.  They 
fell  downward,  and  then  she  started. 

"  Oh,  the  shadow ! "  she  cried,  point 
ing. 

"What  shadow?" 


THE   PANTHER 


"  At  my  feet.    Look !    Look !  " 

Something  impalpable  became  naught 
as  she  cried  the  words. 

"  It  is  nothing,"  he  said  reassuringly. 
"  Now  say  good-bye  to  me.  I  go,  and 
at  once.  Left  to  yourself,  you  will  soon 
be  restored.  If  the  Chimsera  brushed 
you  with  the  gold  dust  on  his  wings,  the 
loss  has  been  his,  not  yours.  After  this 
night  I  shall  be  as  the  dead  who  have 
become  part  of  earth  to  you." 

She  choked. 

"  You  must  be  brave,"  he  said.  "  Don't 

lead  me  to  dread "  He  stopped  short, 

and  looked  at  her.  She  was  so  very  pale, 
and  at  that  instant  she  quickly  hid  tears 
hi  the  curve  of  her  upthrown  arm.  He 
drew  her  hand  to  his  lips  with  more  of 
tenderness  and  less  of  tempest.  "  Oh, 
blue  and  silver  eyes,"  he  said  softly,  "  I 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

wonder,  am  I  being  a  brute?  I,— who 
forbid  myself  all  common  weaknesses,— 
am  I  yielding  to  temptation  now  ?  Is 
something  rising  that  will  be  too  strong 
for  me?  Oh,  rather  death!"  He  put 
his  arm  about  her,  and  drew  her  unre 
sisting  to  his  bosom.  "  If  your  eyes 
were  less  true  in  their  blue,  less  pure  hi 
their  silver,  I  had  perhaps  been  less  vic 
torious  ;  but,  as  it  is,  I  shall  have  strength 
for  all.  Down  to  the  south  flows  the 
Ammer,  and  they  say  all  who  are  mad 
may  have  back  their  reason  if  they  will 
but  wander  alone  by  its  banks  for  six 
days  and  six  nights.  I  am  going  there. 
I  am  going  to  start  before  the  dawn.  Do 
you  hear  me  now?  " 

"  I  hear,"  she  said. 

He  pressed  her  head  against  him. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said.  "  I  must  leave 
O5] 


THE   PANTHER 


you.  Unkissed.  Unpromised.  Without 
hope.  Good-bye." 

She  looked  up  at  him,  and  he  looked 
down  at  her. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said  again,  and  his 
heart  was  sick  with  the  longing  to  caress 
her  and  to  wake  the  purple  in  the  blue 
depths  of  her  eyes.  She  drew  a  little 
away. 

"  Good-bye,"  she  said.  And  then  she 
shrieked  aloud. 

He  started  with  the  terror  hi  her 
voice. 

"  In  Heaven's  name !  "  he  exclaimed. 

She  seized  his  hand,  and  pushed  him 
backwards,  and  pointed  on  the  floor. 
And  there  he  saw  It!  made  clearly  visi 
ble  for  the  first  time. 

Only  a  kitten,  a  tiny,  helpless  ball  of 
yellow  fur,  embryo  claws  no  more  than 


[26] 


A  TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 

sand-pricks,  golden  pupils  upraised  and 
staring  unwinking. 

"  What  is  that?  "  she  screamed.  "  Oh, 
what  is  that?  " 

His  eyes  were  on  it. 

A  kitten,  a  veritable  kitten.  A  soft 
round  kitten.  A  feeble,  helpless,  hapless 
little  mound  of  flesh  and  blood  and 
bones. 

They  both  looked  down  upon  it,  feeling 
a  horror  altogether  incommensurate  to 
its  size  and  weakness. 

And  it  returned  their  gaze  with  a  steadi 
ness  that  did  not  seem  in  keeping  with 
its  form.  Its  eyes  stared  upward  without 
trace  of  fear,  rather  a  something  latent 
with  power  burned  in  the  yellow  pupils, 
and  fresh  horror  stabbed  them  as  they 
felt  the  look. 

"  Oh,  what  is  it  ?  "  she  cried  again. 


THE  PANTHER 


"  It  is  nothing,"  he  made  answer  with 
mighty  effort. 

"  Don't  say  it ! "  She  shook  from  head 
to  foot  as  she  spoke.  "  You  know  as 
well  as  I  that  it  is  something.  Something 
terrible  I  Something  outside  the  realm 
of  this  world!  Something  against 
which  "- 

He  stopped  her  speech. 

"  It  is  nothing,"  he  said  firmly,  and 
spurned  it  with  his  foot. 

His  foot  passed  harmlessly  through  its 
impalpability,  and  left  it  living,  breath 
ing,  crouching  there  as  before. 

At  that  she  flung  herself  into  his  arms, 
and  hid  her  face  against  his  heart. 

"  I  know  what  it  is,"  she  wailed.  "  I 
have  seen  those  eyes  before.  You  know 
the  wonderful  picture  of  Adam  and  Eve? 
You  know  what  crouches  between  them 
[28] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


at  their  feet  as  That  lies  there  at  ours? 
I  have  sat  hours  in  front  of  the  painting, 
and  shuddered  at  the  menace  while  I 
strove  to  solve  the  mystery  of  those 
golden  eyes.  They  penetrate,  they  per 
meate,  they  take  possession;  and  one  is 
held  helpless  by  them,  as  we  are  held 
here  now." 

He  threw  the  spell  from  him. 

"  We  are  not  helpless,"  he  said.  "  No 
one  is  helpless  unless  his  enemy  be  within 
himself.  I  refuse  power  to  what  lies 
there.  I  refuse  it  for  myself  and  for 
you,  my  dearer  self.  It  can  do  you  no 
possible  harm.  Collect  yourself,  and  be 
strong." 

She  drew  a  little  away,  steadied  her 
self  against  him  for  a  moment,  and  then 
sank  on  a  seat. 

"  But   I  am  strengthless,"   she   cried. 


THE   PANTHER 


"  All  my  being  is  fraught  with  fright. 
It  racks  every  nerve  of  my  body.  What 
does  such  an  apparition  betoken?  Will 
it  live?  Will  it  last?  Why  bid  me  be 
strong  against  such  a  one?  I  could  be 
strong  against  what  is  of  this  world,  but 
against  That!— against  such  a  creature! 
Fear  comes  over  me.  I  dread  its  portent, 
its  threat.  Oh,  what  is  it?  " 

His  eyes  narrowed  to  utter  misery. 

"  You  see  what  it  is,"  he  said.  "  You 
divine." 

She  shook  afresh. 

"  God  help  us  both,"  he  said. 


help  you  first  and  last  and  most. 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


Then  he  sat  down,  not  beside  her,— 
opposite  her. 

"  You  must  never  touch  it,"  he  said 
hi  a  tone  at  once  tense  and  imperative. 
"It  can  never  grow,  and  later — after 
some  time  — it  will  fade  away.  If  it 
stays  by  you,  dear  angel  of  purity,  you 
have  only  to  avoid  its  eyes,  to  evade  its 
near  approach,  and  it  will  be  quite  weak 
and  helpless  always,  as  now." 

There  was  silence  for  a  minute,  and 
then  he  said,  almost  as  if  the  words  were 
wrung  from  him:— 

"  Leave  it  to  men  to  caress  or  disown. 
So  long  as  they,  and  they  alone,  have 
dealings  with  it,  so  long  will  it  lie  frail 
and  helpless  under  foot.  Listen  and  re 
member.  Dear  one,  believe  me,  I  know  of 
what  I  speak  when  I  tell  you  that  igno 
rance  and  isolation  are  the  only  safe- 


guards  against  it.  Your  aversion  is  your 
shield.  Abhor  it,  shrink  from  it,  and  you 
will  be  quite  safe." 

She  had  her  hands  over  her  face  and 
was  sobbing.  The  kitten-like  creature  was 
watching  her,  its  eyes  bright  almost  to 
the  scorching  of  flame. 

The  man  clenched  his  hands,  drops 
started  on  his  forehead,  he  rose  to  his 
feet. 

She  looked  up  quickly. 

Then  with  the  suddenness  of  a  moun 
tain  tempest  a  storm  of  whirling  emotion 
burst  over  them.  For  the  space  of  one 
link  in  the  chain  of  eternity  their  souls 
met  with  their  eyes. 

"  Don't  leave  me,"  she  murmured. 
"You  cannot  — must  not  — shall  not  — 
leave  me  now." 

"0  Heart,"  he  said,  "I  think  the 
[32] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

best  of  me  will  stay  with  you  always, 
but  I  must  go.  Only  remember  "  —  He 
stopped.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  only  forget." 

He  felt  her  hands  behind  his  neck,  just 
as  his  fancy  had  endeavored  once  to  clasp 
them. 

"  Rather  reproach  me,"  he  whispered. 
"  I  deserve  reproaches.  I  did  wrong,  and 
the  wrong  lies  there  at  our  feet.  Avoid 
it,  my  darling,  never  touch  it.  It  cannot 
touch  you.  It  has  no  power  unless  you 
give  it  power.  Don't  give  it  power. 

"  It  was  the  shadow  in  the  forest?  "  she 
asked. 

He  bowed  his  head  in  assent. 

"We  shall  never  meet  again?"  she 
asked  further. 

"  Never,"  he  said. 

She  unclasped  her  hands. 

"  Good-bye,"  she  murmured. 
[33] 


THE   PANTHER 


He  went. 

The  city  clocks  were  tolling  midnight. 

She  sank  into  a  low  seat,  and  looked 
at  the  baby-panther.  It  returned  her 
gaze.  Its  eyes  were  starry-lustrous,  and 
glowed  with  the  reflection  of  their  secret. 

"  I  wish  that  he  had  kissed  me,"  she 
said  at  last. 

It  crept  nearer,  kittenlike,  and  sat 
down. 

"  God  help  me ! "  she  cried,  freshly  ter 
rified,  and  sprang  up  and  left  the  room. 


A  period  of  time. 

She  sat  alone  in  her  room,— alone 
except  for  the  creature  that  lay  on  its 
side  in  the  moonlight  and  stretched  its 
velvet-soft  limbs  in  luxurious  ease  there. 

[34] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

She  could  but  gaze  on  it  as  she  lay  back 
in  her  deep  chair  and  meditated,  her  eyes 
unnaturally  wide  and  bright. 

The  man  was  gone.  The  silence  of 
absolute  separation  had  swallowed  him  up 
completely.  Her  reason  told  her  that 
that  was  right  and  best,  and  her  pride 
and  resolution  reinforced  her  reason. 
Present  pain  prevents  future  torture. 
Acceptance  forestalls  force.  The  worst 
was  that  she  was  beset  by  her  memories 
night  and  day,  and  that  their  suggestions 
were  racking. 

"  I  have  to  fight  with  myself  for  my 
self?  "  she  thought,  her  eyes  measuring 
the  sleeping  cub  as  she  did  so.  "  Surely, 
I  do  not  for  one  moment  fear." 

Then  fresh  remembrances  flooded  her 
consciousness  with    pain   and  drew  her 
hands  before  her  face. 
[35] 


THE   PANTHER 


When  she  looked  again,  the  beating  of 
her  heart  had  aroused  the  sleeping  thing 
and  caused  it  to  draw  nearer.  It  sat  close 
to  her  feet,  and  its  golden  glance  over 
shot  the  silver  sorrow  of  her  own.  There 
was  nothing  repelling  in  the  round  up 
lifted  eyes,  and  she  sounded  them  for  a 
minute  before  she  recalled  their  message. 
It  reared  its  body  softly  against  her, 
catching  its  claws  into  the  lace  of  her 
skirt  for  support,  and  strove  to  touch  her 
hand  with  its  little  red  tongue.  But  at 
that  she  recollected,  and,  tearing  herself 
from  the  sympathy  of  the  Forbidden, 
sprang  up  and  went  out  onto  the  terrace. 
She  heard  its  fall  behind  her,  and  was  K 
unable  to  repress  a  feeling  of  reproach 
at  such  rough  handling  of  so  tiny  and 
helpless  a  thing,  but  the  minute  after 
was  forgotten  in  the  overpowering  sei 
[36] 


A  TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 

sation  of  his  personality  that  stole  over 
her  ever  and  again,  and  now  foamed  up 
strongly,  throwing  her  own  thoughts 
hither  and  yon  on  the  crests  of  the  surf 
of  past  souvenirs. 

Casting  herself  against  the  marble  rail, 
she  leaned  there  until  a  fault  pale  twilight 
called  the  shadows  of  night  to  their  daily 
rest. 

She  went  in  then,  and  sought  her  bed. 
It  was  narrow  and  white,  and  turned 
open  for  her  entrance.  So  narrow  and 
white  and  open  is  the  last  resting-place, 
so  softly  and  luxuriously  are  the  dead 
housed,  and  also  so  lonely  in  their  deso 
lation  do  they  lay  them  down.  Just  as 
stilly  and  as  lonely  as  the  dead  go  to  their 
rest,  so  she  went  to  hers.  In  among  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  utter  solitude  she 
sought  oblivion.  Nothing  of  life  was  near 
[37] 


r  ^^^i 

<&* 


THE   PANTHER 


her  except  such  life  as  stirred  the  creature 
who  once  more  slept  in  the  broad  path  of 
the  fading  moonbeams. 

She  was  a  beautiful  woman,  and  beauti 
ful  in  her  bed.  Her  hair  wound  in  great 
glossy  braids  off  across  the  sheets,  and 
her  white  arms  lay  folded  across  the 
large  blue  bow  that  tied  the  fulness  of 
her  cambric  gown  upon  her  bosom. 
She  might  have  died  thus,  and  they 
might  have  buried  her  thus,— just  as  she 
lay  there  among  the  cold  gray  shadows  of 
that  dawning. 

Something  aroused  her,  and  she  started 
up.  The  same  presence  aroused  the 
panther-cub,  and  it  also  started  up. 

The  room  was  scarcely  light,  but  the 
morning  star  shone  in  at  the  window,  and 
the  morning  was  near  enough  so  that 
[38] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

she  — sitting  up  among  the  pillows  — could 
see  that  what  had  disturbed  her  slumber 
was  a  man, — a  man  who  appeared  gigan 
tic  as  he  stood  silent  at  her  side  and 
stared  upon  her  with  a  wan  and  woful 
stare. 

"  Look  at  me,"  he  said  (as  if  she  were 
inclined  to  do  aught  else),  and  she  looked 
at  hun  in  bewilderment  too  complete  for 
joy. 

"  They  say  six  days  by  Ammer  will 
cure  a  madman,"  he  said  hi  heavy  and 
sorrowful  tones.  "  I  wander  there  for 
nine,  and  yet  my  madness  grows." 

She  stretched  forth  her  arms.  She 
could  not  speak. 

But  he  stood  still,  and  did  not  touch 
her. 

"  It  is  cold  in  the  mountain,"  he  said, 
"  and  the  night  dew  falls  half  frost.  The 
[39] 


£3k 


111. 


THE   PANTHER 


moon  was  there,  as  she  is  here;  and  I 
cried  out  to  her.  She  veiled  her  face,  and 
went." 

There  was  a  hollow  resonance  in  his 
voice.  The  woman  began  to  weep. 

"  We  have  been  strong,"  he  said.  "  We 
shall  go  on  being  strong.  I  am  going 
down  by  the  Alpsee  and  through  the 
Fernpass  into  Switzerland.  After  that 
I  know  not." 

He  sat  down  upon  the  bed,  and  looked 
at  her  with  attention. 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  so 
lovely,"  he  said  slowly.  "  I  knew  your 
eyes  and  your  face,  but  I  fancied  that  all 
women  slept  with  their  hair  in  a  toss. 
And  your  throat  is  so  white  and  round, 
too." 

Then  he  looked  towards  the  panther- 
cub. 

[40] 


®5> 


Vl^ 

•  ^o1 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

"  It  is  the  same."  There  was  the  metal 
of  joy— great  joy— in  his  voice,  and  a 
dross  of  disappointment  underneath.  "  It 
will  fade.  You  have  scorned  it,  and 
loathed  it,  and  shaken  off  its  feeble  hold. 
It  will  fade,  as  I  do." 

And,  as  he  spoke,  she  found  herself  to 
be  alone  again. 


The  next  night  the  room  and  the  bed 
were  gages  of  nightmare.  She  paced  to 
and  fro,  to  and  fro,  by  turns  beset  and 
then  triumphant.  The  lace  and  silk  of 
her  gown  rustled  softly  behind  her,  and 
at  its  hem  crept  the  little  panther. 

Once  she  fell  on  her  knees  as  if  to 
pray.  It  drew  back  then.  But  instead 
she  wept  passionately,  and  it  came  close, 
[41] 


»:•_ 


I 


THE   PANTHER 


close,  close,  cowered  in  the  folds  of  her 
gown,  and  lay  there  panting,  but  not 
touching  her. 

After  a  while  she  looked  upwards, 
rested  her  chin  on  her  crossed  arms, 
and  reflected,  unconscious  that  it  was 
so  close  and  watching  her. 

"  To  be  young  and  part  of  youth 
eternal,  and  I  shall  never  be  young  but 
once !  To  be  beautiful  and  to  realize 
that  beauty  is  fleeting,  and  I  cannot  be 
so  again.  And  then  to  come  to  the 
very  border-land  of  Paradise,  and  view 
its  promise,  and  have  to  decide  hi  cold 
blood  to  retrace  my  steps  and  unlearn 
my  sight." 

She  paused,  and,  looking  down,   saw 
the  cub  curled  up  on  the  lace  flounce  of 
her   skirt.     A   tremendous    revulsion  of 
spirit  arose  with  the  sight. 
[42] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Was  it  I  who  spoke  thus  ? "  she 
cried,  jumping  to  her  feet  and  shaking 
off  the  creature.  "Was  that  me ?  "  For 
the  second  her  self -abhorrence  was  bound 
less.  "  Surely,  if  he  can  rise  above  the 
follies  of  men,  I  may  stamp  on  those  of 
women.  Nothing  shall  assail  my  strength. 
All  is  as  it  is.  Our  lives  must  be  thus. 
I  cannot  be  with  him,  cannot  kneel  to 
him,  look  at  him,  hold  his  hands.  The 
world  has  given  us  each  everything  but 
love.  We  must  accept  our  cross."  She 
stopped  and  reflected.  "  What  did  I  say, 
1  All  but  love '?  We  have  been  given  love, 
too.  The  denial  is  of  each  other.  It  is 
not  love  that  is  denied  us :  it  is  each  other. 
Love  is  denied  to  no  one." 

The  panther  looked  straight  up  at  her, 
its  pupils  pregnant  with  meaning. 

She  strove  against  their  message.     But 

[43] 


\A^r    ^S 

^jPi 


THE   PANTHER 


after  a  while  she  said  slowly,  in  contra 
diction  of  her  later  words:— 

"  Nature  gives  every  bird  and  beast- 
aye,  even  each  tree  and  flower— a  mate. 
Then  why  were  we  denied?  " 

Her  self-reproaches  were  drowned  in 
reproach  at  being  stripped  and  bound 
helpless  on  the  wheel  of  Fate.  Rebellion 
rose,  and  choked  her  for  a  second  time. 

The  panther,  watchful,  alert,  regarded 
her  steadfastly  as  she  rose  and  beat  cease 
lessly  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  behind  her 
bars. 


A  period  of  time. 


To  the  ones  who  drag  out  life  chained 
within  the  prison  of  their  own  dead  hopes 
or  existing  despair,  what  days  sink  coiling 

[44] 


A  TALE   OF    TEMPTATION 


down  upon  what  nights  in  that  eternal 
ringing  of  eternity! 

A  feeling  grows  of  timelessness,— sor 
row's  antithesis  to  time.  And  even  the 
living  symbol  of  a  shapeless  fear  becomes 
a  possible  companion,  if  it  shares  the 
weight  of  companion  shackles. 

The  panther  shared  her  solitude, 
partook  its  limitations,  and  was  quiet 
and  unobtrusive, — two  great  kindnesses 
in  a  fellow-slave. 

Then,  too,  in  its  eyes  shone  understand 
ing.  She  knew  that  It  knew.  After  re 
bellion  comes  the  bowed  head,  and  later 
acceptance.  She  rebelled.  She  passion 
ately  protested.  And  then,  at  last,  she 
was  glad  that  there  lived  Something  that 
knew. 

One  evening  she  sat  in  a  low  seat, 
threading  her  fingers  through  the  warm 
[45] 


THE   PANTHER 


masses  of  her  loosened  hair,  and  look 
ing  down  at  That  which  never  failed  to 
give  her  back  each  look  as  steadily  as  a 
reflection  might.  "  I  am  accursed,"  she 
exclaimed  suddenly.  "I  am  accursed, 
and  so  is  he.  As  the  mirage  in  the  des 
ert,  so  happiness  showed  itself  to  us." 

Her  fingers  writhed  and  twisted  among 
the  warm  waves  of  hair.  The  very 
warmth  was  a  mockery.  What  joy  is  en 
joyment  undivided  and  alone  ? 

The  little  panther  came  padding  closer. 
Its  yellow  eyes  were  wide  and  bright  and 
sympathetic.  She  felt  her  pain  solaced 
by  their  glow.  She  leaned  forward,  and 
clasped  her  hands  about  her  knees.  Her 
hair  fell  backward  and  to  right  and  left, 
and  the  kitten-like  creature  crept  yet 
closer. 

It  raised  its  head,  and  regarded  her 
[46] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

with  the  helpless  appeal  of  what  is  help 
less. 

Then  it  crept  closer  again. 

It  was  weeks  since  she  had  flung  it 
from  her.  The  hours  were  many  since 
it  had  ceased  to  sicken  her  with  vague 
horror.  She  slipped  from  her  seat  to 
the  floor,  and  waited  there,  breathing 
quickly. 

It  crept  closer. 

Her  soul  was  shaken,  her  very  heart 
was  sobbing  for  loneliness ;  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears;  her  lips  trembled. 

It  crept  between  her  hands,  and  its 
soft  little  head  sent  a  thrill  of  comfort 
through  her  fingers.  She  lifted  it  in 
her  hands,  and  laid  it  against  her  cheek, 
as  a  child  nurses  a  kitten.  It  nestled 
warm  and  close,  and  for  long  minutes 
she  bowed  her  head  above  it  hi  a  sort 
[47] 


MEU 


of  ecstasy  of  revelation.  Then  at  last 
she  held  it  off  from  her,  and  out  of  the 
little  furry  face  shone  the  two  large  eyes, 
—  eyes  of  gold  that  drank  deep  at  the 
silver  fount  of  her  own.  It  stared  un 
winking.  She  stared  unwinking.  The 
blue  that  was  of  heaven  deepened,  and 
deepened,  and  deepened.  Its  gaze  riveted 
hers.  Its  body  hung  heavy  in  her  two 
hands,  but  she  could  not  let  it  go.  Its 
potency  was  portentous,  its  portent  po 
tent.  Her  bosom  shook.  It  was  the  gold 
of  the  panther  that  was  draining  the 
strength  of  the  woman's  silver.  The  blue 
deepened  more  and  more.  The  weight 
of  the  beast  seemed  more  than  she  could 
lift,  and  yet  all  she  could  do  was  to  gasp, 
to  lean  closer,  to  stare  more  closely. 
The  panther's  eyes  narrowed,  but  be 
came  thereby  not  the  less  steady.  It 
[48] 


A   TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 

hung  in  her  grasp,  and  transfixed  her 
nature  as  it  hung  there.  A  moment  came 
and  went,  and  then  behind  her  long  black 
lashes  dawned  the  purple  of  passion  flow 
ers,  and  the  blue  and  silver  were  never 
more  to  be. 

She  caught  her  breath,  and  let  it  fall. 
It  saved  itself  lithely,  and  ran  away  to  a 
short  distance,  and  sat  down. 

With  a  fearful  contraction  of  the  heart, 
she  noticed  that  it  had  lost  its  kitten-like 
contour  already,  but  other  thoughts  came 
crowding  in.  The  first  sensation  was  one 
of  bounteous  power;  the  second,  one  of 
utter  self-abasement.  All  that  he  had 
said  came  back  across  her  brain,  and 
she  realized  her  degradation. 

Looking  at  the  creature,  she  felt  a 
new  loathing  born  within  her,— a  des- 
[49] 


THE   PANTHER 


perate  resolution  born  of  a  desperate 
need. 

"  Never  again !  "  she  promised  her 
self. 

Its  eyes  were  on  her,  but  she  did  not 
meet  them. 

But  what  did  that  matter. 

It  had  lost  its  kitten  form. 


She  sat  up  in  bed,  panting  and  sobbing 
with  fright  and  distress.  It  was  dark 
in  the  room;  that  is,  dark  except  for 
the  yellow  haze  of  the  two  glowing  eyes 
that  blazed  at  her  feet. 

But  through  the  darkness  she  saw 
the  white  crest  of  the  Dent  du  Midi,  and 
somewhere  in  the  middle  distance  a 
traveller,  weary  and  haggard.  Two 
[50] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

lines  of  mountain  forest  swept  trans 
versely  down,  and  serried  a  path  between 
their  blackness.  He  walked  alone  in 
the  middle  of  the  path,  and  all  about  was 
desolate  and  mournful,  and  silent  and 
sad. 

Her  soul  faced  him  there  in  the  soli 
tude. 

The  panther  slunk  at  her  heels. 

"  You  touched  it !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  touched  it,"  she  said.  "  It  was 
soft.  It  was  warm.  It  was  life.  And 
I  was  lonely." 

The  air  about  them  was  surcharged 
with  conflict. 

At  last  he  said:— 

"  I  cannot,  I  will  not.     Rather  death." 

His  words  nerved  all  her  faintness. 

"  God   help   me !  "  she   said.    "  I  also 
say,  *  Rather  death.'  " 
[5'] 


THE   PANTHER 


He  looked  at  the  beast  and  then  at 
her. 

And  then  she  was  alone  again  in  the 
dark  with  the  yellow  eyes. 


The  next  day  she  said  :— 

"  I  cannot  bear  this  longer.  I  also 
will  go  to  the  Valley  of  the  Ammer;  and, 
if  I  cannot  learn  Peace,  I  may  at  least 
learn  Strength." 

She  bid  her  maid  buy  her  a  suit  of 
loden  and  a  shoulder-bag,  and  pack  the 
latter.  The  girl  was  accustomed  to  obe 
dience  without  questioning.  She  went 
forth,  made  the  purchases,  and  then 
packed  the  bag.  While  engaged  hi  the 
latter  task,  she  walked  back  and  forth 
through  the  panther  a  dozen  times. 
[5*1 


A   TALE   OF   TEMPTATION 


There   was   a  hideousness   in  the   sight 
that  no  words  can  describe. 
When  all  was  ready,  the  woman  said  :— 
"When   I    am   gone,    put    the    other 
things  together,  and  go  yourself  to  Con 
stance  on  the  Bodensee,  and  wait  there 
for  me.    Wait  three  months.    If  in  three 
months  I  am  not  come,  take  all  I  have, 
and  go  where  you  will." 

She  put  a  purse  into  the  girl's  hand, 
and  turned  and  left  her.  The  panther 
came  to  her  side.  Its  eyes  were  large 
and  lustrous.  It  was  as  agile  and  strong 
as  any  cat,  and  as  big. 


To  lie  down  alone  in  the  open  air  and 
see  the  darkness  cloak  every  form,  one 
after  another ! 

[S3] 


THE   PANTHER 


That  is  something  not  to  be  guessed, 
only  learned. 

But  to  lie  down  alone  and  know  the 
loneliness  is  shared  by  a  Thing  neither 
living  nor  dead  ! 

Who  has  either  guessed  or  learned 
the  meaning  of  such  a  situation? 

It  was  bitterly  cold  there  in  the  gray 
shadow  of  the  Zugspitze.  She  slept. 
and  the  beast  crouched  close  at  her 
feet,  and  kept  them  warm.  The  Valley 
of  the  Ammer  lay  further  on.  The  cure 
for  madness  was  yet  to  be. 

The  night  winds  swayed  the  tree-tops 
apart,  and  showed  her  sleeping  to  One 
who  wandered,  like  some  lost  spirit,  in 
those  wilds.  He  stood  beside  her,  looking 
long  on  the  pale  trouble  of  her  face  and 
long  on  the  panther,  who  knew  him  well, 
and  watched  his  every  movement. 
[54] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

The  night  wind  was  kind,  and  swayed 
the  branches  again  and  again  as  he 
stood  there. 

She  sighed  in  her  sleep,  "  Oh,  if 
he  had  but  kissed  me  once,  only  once !  " 

Kisses  burned  on  his  lips  as  he  stood 
above  her,  — such  kisses  as  the  stars 
chanted  when  Chaos  was  creating  the 
Universe.  Stray  snatches  of  their  song 
still  drift  over  the  earth  from  time  to 
time,  and  ten  thousand  Ammers  may  not 
alleviate  that  which  follows  in  their  wake. 

She  sighed  further:  "I  was  so  lonely. 
It  was  life.  It  was  warmth.  Yes,  I 
touched  it." 

He  looked  at  the  panther,  and  it  reared 
its  head  with  a  quick,  horrible,  snake- 
like  menace. 

The  cold  drops  started  on  his  forehead. 
He  passed  his  hand  across  his  eyes. 
[55] 


m 


VI? 


THE   PANTHER 


"  It  is  for  our  souls  that  we  fight," 
he  said,  treading  away  from  where  she 
lay  unconscious;  "  and  shall  I  blame  her 
when  I  am  so  guilty?  If  it  were  but  a 
real  battle  in  the  open !  But  they  have 
given  me  the  might  of  ten  men,  and 
then  set  me  amidst  quicksands." 

He  stopped  not  very  far  away,  and  a 
woful  struggle  took  place  within  him. 

But  in  the  end,  the  godhead  conquered, 
and  the  man  went  on. 


The  morning  sun  woke  her  to  the 
secret  that  quivered  restlessly  all  about 
her.  The  panther  raised  himself  on  his 
haunches,  and  his  gaze  was  softened  by 
brown  shades  of  melancholy. 

"What  happened  while  I  slept?"  she 
[56] 


A  TALE   OF    TEMPTATION 


asked  of  herself,  of  the  beast,  of  the 
air. 

There  was  no  answer. 

"  Something  happened.   What  was  it?  " 

Again  there  was  no  answer. 

The  leaves  drooped  above,  the  grasses 
rustled  all  around,  the  eyes  of  the  panther 
blazed  before  her.  But  all  was  silent. 

She  felt  a  frenzy  of  maddened  help 
lessness. 

"What  came  to  me  as  I  slept?"  she 
cried  imperiously.  "  I  must  know." 

"'I  will  tell  you,"  said  a  sweet  low 
voice.  It  was  the  Dryad  of  the  tree  who 
spoke,  parting  the  bark  with  her  slender 
white  fingers  and  looking  forth  from  the 
aperture,  the  holy  calm  of  one  of 
Botticelli's  angels  wreathing  her  lips. 

"  It  was  the  man  you  love,"  declared 
the  Dryad.  "  He  passed  by  as  you  slept. 

[57] 


THE   PANTHER 


He  came  from  the  south,  and,  after  paus 
ing  and  looking  on  you  for  some  time, 
he  went  on  to  the  north." 

The  woman  was  beside  herself  in  a 
passion  of  passionate  grief  over  these 
words. 

"  He  stood  here  —  here  —  beside  me?  " 

The  Dryad  nodded  sweetly. 

"  And  he  went  on?  " 

The  Dryad's  lips  curved  sadly. 

"  Such  is  fate,"  she  murmured,  and, 
withdrawing  her  fingers,  suffered  the  bark 
to  enclose  her  again. 

She  turned  to  the  panther,  and  reviewed 
in  one  swift  glance  its  greater  length  and 
strength. 

"He  saw— he  must  have  seen  — and 
known,"  she  thought  piteously,  and,  with 
the   stab   of  a  single   short,  sharp   cry, 
buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 
[58] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

For  a  long  time  she  rested  so,  motion 
less. 


\\ 


When  she  looked  up,  the  sun  was  high, 
and  its  rays  were  as  burning  as  the  glare 
hi  the  eyes  of  the  beast. 

Some  echo  of  fire  covered  her  own 
pupils. 

She  rose  from  the  ground,  and  It  ran 
beside  her.  They  both  set  out  upon  the 
way  to  Griesen.  The  giant  of  the  Wet- 
tersteins  frowned  behind  them,  and  the 
guides  who  passed  pointed  upwards  and 
said  to  one  another,  "  See,  it  is  snowing 
on  the  Zugspitze." 

The  panther,  its  yellow  iris  gleaming 
with  ruby  glintings,  lifted  its  head  and 
licked  her  hand.  She  could  not  drive  it 
[59] 


fejg    ^^^ 


THE   PANTHER 


from  her,  and  was  forced  to  suffer  the 
caress  that  tortured. 

And  then,  looking  down  upon  it,  she 
saw  with  alarm  that  it  was  as  large  as  a 
dog. 

Shuddering,  she  continued  on  her  way. 


It  grew.    It  grew  steadily,  ceaselessly. 

It  began  to  stretch  itself  with  a  yawn 
of  power  that  made  her  tremble. 

On  the  third  day  they  passed  out  of 
the  Graswangthal  and  came  to  the  banks 
of  the  Ammer.  The  mountains  rose 
mightily  on  either  hand,  and  clasped  the 
day  so  fast  within  their  holding  that  it 
faulted  in  a  twilight  four  hours  long. 

Looking  upward  on  either  hand,  one 
had  to  consider  that  when  mankind  was 
[60] 


^ 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


young  the  rocks  above  were  old,  and 
that  multitudes  and  multitudes  of  waves 
of  human  woe  had  gathered  strength  and 
force,  rolled  up  and  back,  and  been  lost 
forever  within  the  shadow  of  these  hoary 
piles. 

She  did  consider.  She  did  reflect.  She 
looked  up  at  the  mountains  and  down  at 
the  Ammer,  and  while  she  looked  the 
panther  paused  and  looked  at  her.  Its 
eyes  were  bright  with  darting  yellow,  and 
night  and  day  it  sought  her  hand  with 
its  tongue.  The  touch  of  that  tongue  was 
as  silken  velvet,  it  did  not  even  ruffle  her 
breathing  or  her  dreams.  Her  loathing 
had  to  lapse  again,  her  apprehension  to 
become  lulled.  The  creature  was  so 
gentle,  so  quiet,  so  cat-like  still.  And  it 
was  with  her  so  constantly.  And  seemed 
to  comprehend.  Crises  of  desperation,  of 

[61] 


THE   PANTHER 


rebellious  agony,  came  on  her  often,  and 
when  they  were  least  resistible  it  reared 
itself  beside  her,  laid  the  soft  warmth  of 
its  head  against  her  shoulder,  and  waited 
hi  dumb  sympathy  until  she  mastered 
herself  again. 

One  night  she  sat  beneath  the  stars, 
striving  to  drown  her  turbulence  by  the 
comparison  of  its  littleness  with  the  great 
cycles  of  their  revolving  calm.  The 
panther  sat  near  by,  and  drew  the  violet 
of  her  gaze  by  the  concentration  of  his 
eyes.  She  stretched  her  hand  out,  and 
it  came  to  her,  crouching  close  at  her 
knee,  resting  the  treacherous  cruelty 
of  its  jaw  upon  her  arm,  and  never 
ceasing  its  steady  contemplation  of  her 
face. 

A  great  sigh,  as  if  the  Tyrol  travailed, 
swept  down  the  valley,  and  echoed  with 
[62] 


A    TALE    OF  TEMPTATION 

a  wail  of  mourning  in  every  crevasse  on 
the  way. 

The  panther  raised  its  ears  and  listened. 

She  listened,  too. 

The  gray  ghosts  of  rain  came  dancing 
in  cohorts  toward  them.  Above,  the  sun 
shone  bright  on  the  snow  crests,  but 
below,  the  storm  sheet  spread,  threaten 
ing. 

She  drew  back  beneath  some  trees. 
The  beast  followed  close  at  her  heels. 

And  then,  with  the  roar  that  seems  to 
rend  sound  asunder,  the  heavens  dis 
charged  all  their  artillery  over  the  Ba 
varian  Alps. 

Overcome  with  unconquerable  panic, 
she  flung  herself  upon  her  knees,  and 
buried  her  face  in  the  striped  fur  of  the 
head  which  was  rubbing  her  skirt. 

The  panther  was  still.  They  rested  so 
[63] 


W 


THE   PANTHER 


Sag; 


•aft- 


until  the  storm  wound  its  way  by  them, 
over  and  away. 

When  she  uncovered  her  eyes,  It  was 
long  and  lithe  and  its  white  claws  showed 
on  each  foot. 

She  trembled  and  quivered. 

And  it  grew.    And  grew. 


The  menace  of  that  growth  was  begin 
ning  to  penetrate  her.  She  saw  in  the 
size  of  the  beast  a  visible  measure  of  the 
battle  for  soul  and  self  which  beset  her 
consciousness. 

"  Shall  I  be  less  strong  than  he?  "  she 
asked  herself  miserably,  and  felt  more 
terribly  than  before  the  might  of  that 
which  was  reaching  down  into  the  very 
roots  of  her  being. 

[64] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

To  walk,  walk,  walk,  and  try  to  kill 
thought  in  fatigue,  was  all  her  effort. 
Day  after  day  she  went  on  and  on. 

It  was  the  lovely  Ammerthal.  The  gay 
and  thoughtless  little  Ammer,  the  frivol 
ling  descendant  of  the  bygone  glacier, 
went  purling  merrily  along  its  way.  The 
glacier  had  gashed  the  granite  three 
thousand  feet  above,  but  the  brook  refused 
to  be  overawed.  When  the  mountains 
promulgated  their  decree,—"  To  live,  learn 
of  us.  All  history  fights  and  bleeds  about 
us,  and  we  look  only  to  the  sky  and  sun 
light  !  "—it  only  laughed  lightly,  rippled 
around  the  jagged  rocks  that  strove  to  stay 
it,  and  eddied  gayly  on.  Its  bed  was  pure 
white  pebbles;  a  wider  bed  of  gray  slate 
rock  lay  on  either  side,  but  the  summer- 
queen  had  bid  it  content  itself  in  the 
narrow  way.  And  it  did  so,  cascading 
[65] 


THE   PANTHER 


as  happily  there  as  if  it  had  never  raged 
along  that  way,— a  danger,  a  torrent. 

All  day  the  valley  echoed  to  the  musi 
cal  chimes  of  the  cow-bells.  The  herds 
went  wandering  here  and  there,  and 
nothing  could  be  more  picturesque  than 
their  grouping  as  they  paused  by  the 
silvery  stream,  the  desultory  forest  trees 
forming  an  uneven  background  of  inter 
mingling  greens.  The  birches  scattered 
all  the  lower  slopes,  the  pines  rose  tier 
on  tier  behind  them.  Above  the  highest 
range  of  pines  the  gray  mountain  crags 
spread  dark.  And  then  the  snowy  peaks. 
And  then  the  sky. 

"  Our  lives  seem  very  little  hi  the  face 
of  all  this,"  she  said;  "  and  yet  the  sky 
is  not  wide  enough  nor  all  earth's  beauty 
bright  enough  to  measure  the  joy  that 
might  have  been." 

[66] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

Hard  on  the  thoughts  came  a  sensa 
tion  of  horrid  sickness.  Between  her 
eyes  and  the  sunlit  landscape  had  come 
the  panther,  stealthy  and  sleek,  and 
arrogated  her  attention  to  its  powerful 
self. 

That  night  the  sun  set  hi  a  sky  of 
blood-stained  glory.  The  mountains, 
uniformed  hi  gray,  purple,  and  green, 
massed  themselves  to  right  and  left,  and 
saluted  its  going.  Later  they  donned 
black,  and  vanished  themselves. 

She  was  left  alone  in  the  wilderness 
with  the  beast,  who  was  strangely  vi 
brant  with  agitation.  When  she  lay 
down  to  rest,  It  began  to  pace  about  in 
a  great  circle.  Its  eyes  glowed  with  a 
message  of  question,  and  she  could  not 
loosen  her  fascinated  gaze  from  their 
mastery. 

[67] 


Ob* 


THE   PANTHER 


"  Behold  me,"  they  proclaimed. 
"  Know  me.  I  am  what  lies  beyond, 
beneath,  behind  all  Life.  I  am  Life  itself. 
Who  can  live  and  not  live?  Who  are 
you  to  set  your  face  against  me?  Who 
was  he  to  declare  himself  regnant  in  my 
stead?  " 

She  shook  and  stared.  And  shook 
again.  But  might  not  cease  to  stare. 

Around  and  around  her  tracked  the 
Thing.  It  was  panther-size  now,  full 
grown,  large,  cruelly  and  splendidly 
shaped.  There  was  the  pride  of  power 
in  its  sweeping,  gliding  gait.  It  circled, 
and,  as  it  circled,  its  eyes  never  for  one 
second  loosed  their  fastening  on  hers. 
"  I  am  Life ! "  they  declared  over  and 
over  again. 

Something  in  her  passionately  voiced  the 
question  that  said  itself  in  her  riven  heart. 

[68] 


®>y 

m 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

The  answer  glinted  in  a  slit  sliver  of 
black  that  shot  athwart  the  yellow  pupils. 
"  You,— you  are  Death.  You  are  naught 
but  Death.  Nature  and  Life  are  one. 
What  opposes  Nature  is  one  with  Death. 
The  world  being  the  world,  that  which  is 
but  itself  and  promises  no  further  is  dead 
already.  Is  not  that  the  truth  of  all  Be 
ing?  Is  not  the  law  of  the  world  the  Truth 
—the  only  truth  — of  life?  Have  you  the 
right  to  doubt  what  each  spring  teaches 
and  every  autumn  learns?  What  is  — Is. 
What  is  — lam.  Can  you  gainsay  me?  Try !" 

It  ceased  moving,  and  reared  itself 
quickly  upward.  For  a  single  instant 
she  thought  it  willed  to  leap  upon  her. 
Her  mind  reeled.  .  .  . 

But  it  only  sank  back  on  all  fours, 
and  grew,— grew  there  before  her  eyes. 

"  Where  is  the  virtue  in  your  double 
[69] 


A   TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


misery?  "  /tasked  with  its  gleaming  gaze; 
and  then  again  it  wound  its  magic  circle 
about  her,  its  face  turned  ever  inward, 
its  body  increasing  and  increasing  in 
bulk  and  strength  as  it  paced  round  and 
round.  "  Is  not  Nature  all-wise  and 
omnipotent  ?  "  It  asked.  "  Has  she  made 
the  same  principle  here  good,  there  bad? 
Look  upon  me,  and  learn.  I  go  my  way. 
I  live  my  day.  And  my  day  began  with 
the  birth  of  the  protoplasm,  and  will  end 
when  the  Universe  is  overthrown." 

She  listened. 

The  weakness  of  doubt  beset  her  for 
the  moment.  Upon  its  waves  some  star- 
crowned  hopes  rose  buoyant,  only  to  be 
engulfed  the  moment  after. 

And  then  unmeasured  dread  burst  madly 
in  among  the  sacred  places  of  her  soul. 

The  panther  came  near.  Its  hot 
[70] 


THE   PANTHER 


breath  fell  upon  her  cheek.  She  cow 
ered.  She  pressed  it  from  her  with  all 
the  strength  in  her  wrists.  But  the  at 
mosphere  was  full  of  its  message.  "  You 
are  maddened  with  loneliness,"  its  mute 
ness  said  to  her  contradiction.  "  You 
repent  your  sacrifice.  It  was  Ambition 
first.  Then  Pride.  Now  it  is  Longing. 
You  declare  yourself  whole,  and  you  are 
but  half.  Did  he  seek  oblivion  when  he 
wandered  here?  You  know  he  only 
sought  force  for  remembrance.  Do  you 
pretend  that  you  seek  to  forget  yourself? 
When  you  follow  where  he  led  only 
because  he  led  there.  Oh,  the  folly,  the 
self-deceit!  And  with  me  —  visible  —  at 
your  side  I " 

She  was  stoned.  Beaten.  Crushed. 
Her  hands  upon  her  face  barred  nothing 
away. 

[71] 


• 


Jffi 


i/li, 


It  was  unbearable.  It  passed  all 
human  endurance. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet.  Flight  was 
her  only  thought. 

But  where? 

The  panther  was  there  and  would  be 
everywhere,  and  the  struggle  he  sym 
bolized  was  hi  her  soul,  and  could  not 
be  left  behind. 

She  no  longer  told  herself,  "  I  am 
strong."  She  no  longer  promised  her 
self,  "  Never,  no,  never." 

Instead  she  whispered  with  white  lips, 
"  I  fear." 

And  feared. 


In    the    days    that  followed    the  beast 
grew  steadily.    In  the  night  he  went  to 


o 

© 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

and  fro,  and  she  could  hear  the  stealthy 
lashing  of  his  tail  in  the  darkness.  His 
bright  beguiling  glance  pierced  her  each 
instant. 

They  had  come  to  the  gorge  of  the 
Pollat,  and  the  stream  went  leaping 
from  ledge  to  ledge,  wreathing  its  crystal 
in  veils  of  spattered  mist.  One  of  its 
banks  rose  black  with  the  untouched 
night  damp,  the  other  was  bright  in  the 
sunlight,  every  mossy  stone  was  sheeted 
with  prismatic  dews. 

Her  soul,  writhing,  bleeding,  seeking 
a  place  where  it  might  cease  to  suffer, 
looked  down  upon  the  torrent  which 
leapt  and  threw  itself  from  rock  to  rock 
two  hundred  feet  below. 

As  she  stood  quiet,  the  beast,  which 
had  been  standing  quiet  beside  her,  sud 
denly  stretched  itself  to  its  greatest  length, 

[73] 


THE   PANTHER 


swinging  its  body  downward  between 
its  well-braced  feet  and  yawning  its 
strength  in  her  face  with  a  vast  show  of 
ivory  menace  that  suddenly  ended  hi  a 
snap  whose  prophecy  was  awful. 

A  new  and  curious  flame  danced  red  in 
the  gold  of  those  eyeballs. 


"  I  fear,"  she  had  confessed. 

She  feared,  and  yet  was  fascinated. 
The  omniscience  of  its  knowledge  was 
an  everlasting  magnet  to  her  spirit.  She 
feared  it,  and  yet  fared  daily  forward  on 
her  way.  She  loathed  it,  and  yet  could 
not  resist  its  potent  power.  At  night  she 
propped  her  head  upon  her  hand,  and 
noted  how  its  restlessness  augmented 
slowly  until  it  raged  back  and  forth  like 

[74] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

some  demon  that  tracked  unpunished 
because  unpunishable.  It  often  ceased 
its  burning  impatience  to  steal  to  her 
side,  and  rub  the  silky  softness  of  its  head 
against  her  hand.  Sometimes  it  licked 
her  fingers  with  that  tongue  which  was 
surface-dyed  with  memories  of  what  had 
never  been.  And  under  the  influence  of 
such  quivering  suggestion  her  thoughts 
thrilled  into  dreams. 

In  her  dreams  she  was  racked  by  the 
vision  of  Him  who  had  proscribed  the 
panther  to  her. 

He  came  repeatedly,  and  taxed  her 
resistance  with  the  witness  of  what  paced 
close  and  monstrous. 

"  Of  what  use  is  further  battling?"  his 

wraith    demanded.    "  You    murder    the 

future  on  the  altar  of  the  past."    And  in 

her  fancy  he  looked  from  the  beast  to 

[75] 


THE   PANTHER 


her  eyes,  which  glowed  violet  behind  their 
drooping  lashes,  and  then  back  to  the 
beast;  and  in  her  shame  she  strangled, 
and  woke. 

It  took  all  her  self-control  to  impress 
herself  with  what  had  really  been.  A 
parting  forever  and  a  nature  of  such 
mould  that  sooner  than  break  its  word  it 
had  passed  her  by  on  the  mountain  side 
without  one  spoken  word.  Prayer  to 
the  panther  were  safer  than  hope  based 
upon  a  possible  alteration  of  such  pur 
pose. 

"  Shall  I  be  less  strong?  "  she  asked 
herself  again  and  again. 

So  the  day  came  on  which  she  and  It 
ceased  to  wander  in  the  wilderness,  and 
sought  again  the  world  of  bed  and  board. 


A  TALE  OF    TEMPTATION 


She  came  to  Constance  on  the  Bodensee 
at  last. 

Her  maid  exclaimed  in  fright,  and  her 
mirror  echoed  the  cry.  It  was  a  colorless 
face,  in  which  the  eyes  burnt  purple  with 
purple  shadows  under  them.  Something 
ethereal  had  touched  her  form.  Her 
hands  appeared  transparent.  Life  and 
flesh  and  food  had  lost  their  place  as 
entities  to  her. 

But  the  panther  had  thriven  truly.  It 
passed  all  measures  of  its  kind,  and  bor 
dered  on  the  lion-kingdom.  When  she 
was  seated  before  her  toilette  for  the  maid 
to  dress  her  hair,  its  head  as  it  sat  on  the 
floor  was  on  a  level  with  hers.  Its  gaze 
grew  more  luminous  each  hour.  It  never 
for  one  moment  slept.  Forever  awake, 
she  felt  herself  forever  watched,  forever 
threatened.  Not  that  it  seemed  ferocious : 
[77] 


THE   PANTHER 


on  the  contrary,  its  every  movement 
bespoke  a  species  of  restrained  tender 
ness.  But  the  more  menace  then. 

At  night  her  fevered  rest  was  harshly 
broken  in  upon  by  the  sudden  ramping 
of  its  rearing  up  beside  the  bed.  Its  claws 
would  sink  deep  into  the  silken  coverlet, 
the  muscles  on  its  mighty  shoulders 
would  swell  like  whipcord,  and  the  head 
-that  great  feline  head  — would  sway 
above  her,  and  crush  out  all  her  courage 
with  the  golden  prescience  of  its  eyes. 

An  end  must  be,  she  knew;  but 
what? 

A  day  must  dawn;  but  when? 

The  conflict  was  appalling  in  its  con 
tinuity,  but  where  there  is  neither  rest  nor 
rebate  humanity  must  surrender  in  the 
end. 

She  began  to  falter  under  the  burden. 
[78] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

And  the    beast  — the  hideous  beast 
waxed  larger  yet  and  stronger. 


"  Am  I  perhaps  to  die? "  she  whis 
pered,  learning  from  within  that  some 
end  was  soon  to  be,  and  feeling  that  it 
could  only  be  death.  She  looked  in  the 
mirror,  and  stared  affrighted. 

"  What  is  it  that  I  see?  "  she  whispered, 
staring  closer.  "Is  it  Death?  Or  De 
feat?  "  Then  she  wrung  her  hands.  "  Oh, 
not  Defeat?  "  she  cried,  and  paused  sud 
denly. 

Then  she  went  to  the  window,  and 
looked  forth.  Ten  thousand  devils  were 
whipping  the  lake  to  a  froth  of  utter  fury 
there  outside.  Phosphorescent  rain  shed 
its  wild  glare  across  the  waves,  and  the 
[79] 


THE   PANTHER 


thunder  crashed  in  between  the  light 
ning's  darting.  She  turned  her  face  to 
wards  the  inside.  It  was  dark,  but  by  the 
light  of  each  illuminated  and  ever-recur 
ring  instant  she  could  see  the  panther. 
The  animal  gazed  intently  up  into  her 
face.  It  seemed  to  listen,  and  consider. 
There  was  a  terrible  strength  of  calm  in 
its  gaze.  It  was  as  if  it  had  ceased  to 
fight,  having  won.  The  white  sweat  of 
agony  burst  forth  upon  her  brow. 

"  Is  it  that  I  have  entered  where  there 
is  no  way  back  to  life?  "  she  stammered 
aloud,  with  clicking  teeth  and  cleaving 
tongue. 

The  two  eyes  before  her  were  luminous 
with  their  answerings.  Their  spell  shot 
ragged  and  torn  thoughts  through  her 
brain  in  such  dashes  and  flashes  as  the 
lightning  played  outside,  and  in  their  sug- 
[80] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


gestion  played  certain  black  and  jagged 
shadows  of  hope. 

Thoughts  that  echo  in  answer. 

It  blew;  it  wailed.  The  Furies  all 
went  screeching.  Such  a  storm  had  never 
been,  and  —  God  give  !  —  will  never  be 
again. 

As  in  the  mountain,  she  pitched  her 
self  headlong  down  beside  the  beast,  and 
buried  her  face  against  the  softness  of  its 
might. 

When  all  was  over,  she  lifted  her  head, 
and  lifted  it  to  a  new  calm,— a  calm  that 
matched  the  beast's.  Only  there  was  a 
difference.  The  beast  was  cold  in  triumph. 
She  was  icy  in  defeat. 

But  the  blood  in  her  veins  ran  warm, 
and  outside  of  the  window  the  sweet 
sunbeams  were  calming  the  troubled 
waters. 

[81] 


THE   PANTHER 


The  panther  stood  apart,  and  shook 
itself. 

"  Shall  I  dare?  "  she  thought,  even  as 
she  knew  that  she  was  decided. 

She  glanced  furtively  at  it.  It  was 
enormous,— larger  than  the  largest  mon 
arch  that  ever  ruled  the  jungle;  and  its 
eyes  were  molten  with  meaning. 

"  I  dare  anything  now,"  she  said  with 
a  fast-beating  heart. 


Her  message  found  him  in  the  Car 
pathians,  whither  the  angel  with  the 
scourge  had  finally  driven  him.  He  read 
it  alone  in  a  forest  walk,  all  brilliant 
with  autumnal  splendor. 

It   was    bewildering   because   he   had 
never  hoped.    The   certitude  of  despair 
had  been  his  firm  conviction. 
[8aJ 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

His  fingers  shook,  and  the  little  blue 
sheet  shook  in  them.  He  read  it  a  second 
time.  Not  Life  and  Love,  but  Death  and 
Redemption,  ran  between  the  lines,  and 
their  essence  conquered  his  will.  He 
could  not  realize  very  clearly,  but  he  felt 
the  danger  and  the  need. 

He  set  forth  that  very  hour.  His  brain 
stumbled  beneath  its  overloading,  for 
the  habit  of  horror  and  renunciation 
had  already  worn  deep  into  his  soul. 

There  lived  a  captive  once,  who,  when 
his  prison  door  was  at  last  unbarred, 
dared  not  walk  forth.  Remember  him, 
and  wonder  not  at  this  man's  plight. 

And  yet  stray  shafts  of  wildest  joy 
stabbed  all  his  being.  Even  if  the  time 
was  short,  what  would  it  mean  to  be 
together  for  its  duration !  To  know  the 
peace  of  untrammelled  comprehension! 
[83] 


I, 


THE   PANTHER 


To  choose  the  way  the  final  hours  should 
lead— 

His  mind  grew  dizzy  with  striving  to 
conceive,  to  imagine,  to  ad  just- 
Despair  had  been  his  for  so  long — 
The  journey  was  interminable.  At  sun 
set  the  train  whirled  out  along  a  river,— 
the  Danube.  The  great  Abbaye,  where 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  dead  men 
lived  down  the  sorrows  of  their  lives, 
lay  silent  there  beyond.  When  it  was 
past,  the  splendid  curves  of  hills  and 
valleys  swept  on  an  axis  of  fading  glory 
for  a  little,  and  then  the  night  crouched 
over  all. 

He  did  not  sleep.  He  could  not  sleep. 
Too  much  was  passing  near  and  far. 
But  he  was  weary,—  oh,  intensely  so ! — and 
towards  dawn  the  strain  began  to  over 
come  him.  And  then  he  slept. 
[84] 


A  TALE   OF    TEMPTATION 


The  train  went  on. 

Oh,  the  hideous  chill  of  the  awakening 
at  dawn !  The  Orient  Express  was  rush 
ing  along  the  border  of  the  Tyrolese 
mountains,  and  every  mountain  rose  up 
stark  and  gray-granite  rough  around  him. 
They  charged,  head-on,  beside  the  train, 
whirled  on  their  bases,  and  disappeared 
behind.  He  folded  his  arms  upon  his 
bosom,  and  caught  his  lip  hard  in  his 
teeth. 

A  heavy  pall  of  vague  presentiment  had 
come  about  him,  forcing  cognizance  of 
certain  direful  chancings  which  might  well 
arrive.  He  canvassed  them  all  with  an 
ever-increasing  dread. 

A  revocation  of  the  edict  of  surrender? 

Uprisal  and  resistance? 

And  failing  strength? 
[85] 


THE   PANTHER 


The  haunting  whispers  clung  in  his 
weariness.  After  a  while  they  spoke 
aloud.  And  then  cried  wildly.  Above 
the  roaring  of  the  train  their  foreboding 
pealed. 

He  could  not  quiet  their  resistance.  A 
hand  of  lead  was  laid  upon  his  heart. 
No  longer  able  to  deny  the  potency,  he 
could  only  brace  himself  for  what  was 
to  be,  and  wait. 

At  midnight  the  end  came. 

He  hurried  from  the  station.  It  was 
but  a  step  to  the  hotel. 

His  soul  shivered.  Now!  now!  The 
end !  the  end !  He  knew  not  what  was 
to  be,  but  all  that  was  within  him  assured 
him  that  it  was  not  to  be  joy. 


[86] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


Those  banal  civilities  that  civilization 
demands!  He  had  them  with  some  one 
in  the  hotel  office  below.  They  faded 
into  very  simple  lines.  The  maid  had 
dressed  her  in  anticipation  of  his  coming. 
She  was  expecting  him,  and  he  could  go 
to  her. 

He  came  to  the  door,  and  found  it 
locked. 

He  rapped. 

No  answer. 

He  rapped  again. 

Again  no  answer. 

The  silence  was  frightful,  impossible  to 
stand.  He  bore  against  the  door  with  all 
his  force,  a  panel  cracked,  the  lock  was 
wrecked,  the  door  fell  in  with  a  splintering 
crash,  and  he  entered. 

There  were  candles  burning,  and  their 
flame  flickered  in  the  lake  breeze  which 
[87] 


THE   PANTHER 


floated  the  lace  curtains  inward  and 
rustled  the  leaves  of  a  book  which  lay  on 
the  table. 

He  crossed  the  room  in  two  steps,  and 
flung  aside  the  portiere  which  led  to  the 
next  beyond. 

More  flickering  candles  and  more  emp 
tiness. 

There  was  a  third  room,—  a  little  dress 
ing-room.  He  trembled  as  he  put  aside 
the  screen  which  half -concealed  its 
door. 

He  knew  now  that  behind  the  screen 
lay  the  supremely  awful  hour  of  their  two 
lives. 

There  were  candles  there  as  elsewhere, 
burning  bright  in  brazen  sockets.  The 
little  room  was  dainty,  and  white  and 
well-ordered,  without  sign  of  struggle  or 
conflict. 

[88] 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 


Only  she  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
stretched  out.     Motionless.     Still. 
And  the  panther  was  gone. 


He  stood,  staring. 
For  a  long  time. 

She  had  been  a  beautiful  woman,  and 
lying  there  she  was  still  beautiful.  The 
panther  had  not  touched  her  face,  nor 
her  shoulders,  nor  her  transparently  white 
arms  and  hands.  It  had  only  torn  out 
her  heart,  and  left  her.  No  blood 
marked  the  wound,  for  no  claws  had  made 
it.  No  beast  had  ever  been  without  her 
being. 

He  stood  still  a  long,  long,  long  while. 
He  had  changed  greatly  in  the  passage  of 
[89] 


Vfc 


THE   PANTHER 


the  summer,  and  he  changed  yet  more  as 
he  stood  there,  looking  down. 

At  last  he  knelt,  and  laid  his  hand 
upon  her. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  said  in  tones  of  utter 
need,  "  oh,  tell  me  —  you  and  I  —  in  this 
hour  —  after  all  —  after  all  the  anguish 
borne  and  temptation  overthrown— is  this 
Victory  —  or  Defeat?  " 

She  moved  ever  so  slightly.  She  opened 
her  lips. 

But  no  sound  came. 

He  took  her  in  his  arms  and  raised  her 
upon  his  bosom.  He  bent  his  face  to  hers, 
and  his  lips  kissed  her  lips  at  last. 

The  room  was  flooded  then  with  light,— 
a  gleaming,  golden  radiance. 

Her  eyes  —  her  whilom  blue  and  silver 

eyes  —  unclosed   their   lids,  and  for   one 

fleeting    instant    he    looked    into    them. 

[90] 


i 


A  TALE   OF  TEMPTATION 

Their  coldness  and  clearness  was  drowned 
in  violet  shadows,  and  the  violet  of  those 
shadows  told  him  all. 

For  some  few  long  and  infinitely  glo 
rious  seconds  they  read  each  other's  souls. 

And  then  her  eyelids  drooped  together, 
and  the  light  in  her  eyes  faded  forever- 
more. 

"  They  were  violet,"  he  said. 

"  It  was  Victory,"  he  said. 

He  was  riven  by  the  steel  of  the  past, 
glorified  by  the  fulness  of  the  present. 

And  then  he  laid  her  very  gently  down. 
The  golden  radiance  still  encompassed 
them.  It  was  Light,  it  was  Love,  and  the 
dead  lay  wrapped  in  its  illumination. 

And  the  living,  too. 


[9'] 


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